Size dependent swift heavy ion induced Au nanoparticle elongation in SiO2 matrix

Abstract

The elongation of spherical Au nanoparticles embedded in [Formula: see text] under swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation is an extensively studied phenomenon. The use of a TEM grid as a substrate facilitates the identification of the same nanoparticle before and after the irradiation. Since the underdensification of [Formula: see text] inside the ion track plays a key role, the elongation is sensitive to the matrix material properties. Therefore, we studied the elongation process of SHI irradiated Au spherical nanoparticles of various diameters (5–80 nm) embedded either in atomic layer deposition (ALD) or plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) [Formula: see text]. The results show that a different elongation ratio is achieved depending on the particle initial size, ion fluence, and a different [Formula: see text] deposition method. The embedded nanoparticles in ALD [Formula: see text] elongate roughly 100% more than the nanoparticles embedded in PECVD [Formula: see text] at the biggest applied fluence ([Formula: see text]). On the other hand, at fluences lower than [Formula: see text], nanoparticles elongate slightly more when they are embedded in PECVD [Formula: see text].